


Thirteen and Counting

by hazellepotter



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Family Dynamics, Family Issues, Humor, Muggle AU, Multiple Pairings, POV Multiple, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, Survival, Zombie Apocalypse, zombie apocalypse AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-01-07 21:53:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12241329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazellepotter/pseuds/hazellepotter
Summary: As she watched the world burn on the news and other humans ripping into each other’s flesh, all she could think about was saving her sister. After all this time, that never changed. Maybe she was still hoping the number thirteen held some kind of magic.





	1. Petunia's POV

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This will be a multi-chapter fic, and it will cover Petunia and Lily's POVs. It will always be listed whose character's POV it is in the chapter title. I have been really excited for this fic for awhile, and it is the first Marauder's Era one I have done. I really hope you enjoy it. I will try and update whenever inspiration strikes. x

It all started on October thirteenth. It was the end of the world. Thirteen used to be her lucky number, until it only brought her destruction.

Too many tragedies unfolded involving the number thirteen for Petunia to still consider it lucky. Her parents died thirteen years ago when she was just a girl and left her feeling lost. Her relationship with her sister was forever tainted by the time she was thirteen years old over an argument that would always loom over her in her dreams, and now it was the number that represented the downfall of the human race.

 **Thirteen minutes.** That’s how long it took for you to turn once you were bit by someone you used to consider your neighbor, your friend, your family. That’s what she saw on the news, anyway. It was apparently like clockwork.

No scientist in the world could figure out how this virus came about, but it spread like wildfire.

Petunia was angry, but that wasn’t anything new. She was always angry with the world. She had been for years, but she was now especially angry with _herself._

As she watched the world burn on the news and other humans ripping into each other’s flesh, all she could think about was saving her sister. After all this time, that never changed. Maybe she was still hoping the number thirteen held some kind of magic.

And as she now ran through the streets with a shovel in her hand to get to her car, she counted the cracks on the side walk as she cracked former neighbor’s skulls. The only way to save yourself from one of the infected was to kill their brain, _to smash it into nothing._ All of their memories would no longer be recognizable; their existence would be lost. All they would be remembered for was their last moments, and Petunia didn’t think that was fair. _They would only be remembered as monsters._

The first person Petunia had to kill was her seventy-six year old neighbor Lucy. She became infected in her sleep, and she wasn’t even bit. Petunia was hardly spared as tears clouded her eyes and as she gasped a prayer. She cut herself on the kitchen knife she used to put Lucy down.

**She had to give herself thirteen stitches.**

Petunia thought it was a sick joke, or maybe it was a sign. Whatever it was, it made her stomach churn. 

As she made it to her car, she wiped off her shovel on her old ripped Levi jeans and concluded that she stepped on _thirteen_ cracks and officially killed _thirteen_ of the infected.

She hoped Lily would still be at her flat so they could run, but at the same time, Petunia hoped that Lily wouldn’t have to see a world like this any longer. The only problem was that this contradicted her feelings about hoping Lily would have to deal with the chaos she always felt internally.  It was a never ending battle of push and pull. 

**It took thirteen minutes to get to Lily’s flat, and she was still alive.**

* * *

“I can’t believe you came for me. I figured you would have ditched town by now,” Lily expressed bitterly, “That’s usually what you do. You just disappear without a trace. This would have been your perfect opportunity.”

Petunia chose to ignore her comment as she packed up the remaining supplies in Lily’s flat. She grabbed the red pocket knife that used to be her father’s and slipped it into her sister's bag. She bitterly thought about how it should have been gifted to _her_ and not Lily. Red was Petunia’s favorite color, but small things like that never seemed to matter when it came to Petunia. 

“We don’t have much time,” Petunia told her softly, “Do you have everything you need? I heard the wilderness up north is the safest place to escape. They are setting up refugee camps.”

She watched as Lily attempted to tie her short red hair in a pony-tail. Multiple strands of hair were falling in her face. If Petunia had been twelve again, she would have offered to assist her and find a way to make it stay in place, but not anymore.

Lily slung her army green backpack over her shoulder and took one last look at the photograph of their parents on her bedside table.

“I’m ready,” she declared.

Petunia nodded as she hiked her backpack over her shoulder, and she let Lily make her way out of her bedroom first.

She looked down one last time at her combat boots to make sure they were tied, and she tried to ignore the blood stain from her shovel on her jeans. Then she dared to look back at the photograph of her parent’s smiling up at her. Her mouth felt dry, and she contemplated on leaving it just like Lily was planning, but there was something magnetic about it. There was a pull she couldn't resist, sort of like when she decided she had to save her sister. 

She couldn’t leave the photo there to die along with Lily’s old life, so she quickly grabbed it and stuffed it into her bag.

_What Lily didn't know wouldn't hurt her._

* * *

The first few days they were on the road they hardly spoke. Like when they were teenagers, Lily took it upon herself to put on their father’s old baseball cap once she finally decided her hair would no longer stay in a pony-tail. Petunia could have told her it wouldn’t work before they even left her flat.

The only time they spoke was when they stopped for the day to get some rest and assign shifts to watch out at night for the infected. Staying up alone was Petunia’s favorite part of the day.

But one morning, Petunia was woken up by the sound of her car running and the feeling of her old scratchy seat belt rubbing uncomfortably against her skin.

She sat up in her seat abruptly and realized she was now on the passenger side. Her long blonde hair was coming out of her French braid she did three days ago, and her mouth tasted like death. She turned to her left to see that Lily was driving well over the speed limit, and her window was down so her red hair was blowing wildly in the wind.

“How did you move me over?” Petunia asked groggily, “You can’t be that strong. How did I even sleep through that?”

Lily rolled her eyes, “You haven't slept in days. I'm not daft, and you would be surprised how strong I have had to become looking after myself all these years, Petunia.”

It was another jab, and Petunia knew they would never end as long as they lived, so she didn’t say anything. She just swallowed the taste of death and hoped Lily had nothing else to say. 

Hours passed before they stopped to scavenge some food. They were at an old abandoned truck stop. The world had only ended three weeks ago, but it looked as though this place had been abandoned years ago.

“You can get the food while I look for medical supplies,” Lily offered, “Or we can do it the other way around. I don’t care. This place just gives me the creeps, so I want to leave as soon as possible.”

Petunia nodded, “I’ll get some food. We’ll meet up front again in fifteen minutes.”

Lily gave her a look that meant she understood as she grabbed their father’s old pocket knife from her cup holder. Then she was out of the car in a flash.

Petunia decided to take her time. She was still half asleep and didn’t want to put herself in anymore danger than necessary. She closed her eyes for a moment and rested her head against the back of her head rest.

 _That was until she heard Lily yelling._ She must have dozed off. 

Petunia was out of the car and running toward her sister’s voice.

All she could feel was panic, and all she could hear was panic.

This could not be the end. _No, no, no._

As she ran around to the back of the truck stop with her shovel in hand, she was surprised to see that Lily was being held hostage by a _living_ human with a knife to her throat.

“Let me go, you bastard!” Lily shouted. She was struggling to get out of her captor’s grip.

Petunia lifted her shovel higher in the air.

“Let my sister go,” Petunia said calmly, “We can talk about this. You can have all our supplies.”

Lily shot her a look like she was crazy. Her green eyes were frantic with rage.

“Don’t negotiate with these assholes, Petunia! Are you crazy?”

“It might be the only way to keep you alive, Lily!” Petunia argued back.

“Since when do you care about keeping me alive?” Lily spat.

 _She always had_ , she wanted to say. Instead, she just stayed silent.

Petunia almost forgot Lily’s captor was there until he started to chuckle.

“Well, well, it looks like we have some family tension. I’m used to that,” he commented, “But don’t worry, Petunia. I don’t want to harm your sister. Like you said, all I want is supplies.”

“Then I can show them to you,” Petunia stated calmly, “Just let her go.”

The man’s grey eyes studied her cautiously, but he surprised her by letting Lily go.

Lily stumbled forward and toward Petunia, but before Petunia could stop her, Lily had turned back around to punch him in the face.

The man stumbled back, and Petunia braced herself for the upcoming rage. His knife fell out of his hand, and Lily quickly snatched it from the ground before he could.

“That’s what you get for trying to slit my throat, you dick,” Lily told him.

Petunia couldn’t help but snort, and that’s when she heard two people chuckling behind them.

Lily straightened her cap on her head and turned around to the sound of their voices, but Petunia kept her eyes forward as she studied the man on the ground. He was spitting up blood from Lily’s punch.

“Reg, what did I tell you?” One of the men said, “Threats don’t get you anywhere unless you’re man enough to stand your ground.”

Petunia took this opportunity to turn around to see the other men approaching them. The one that spoke was smirking, and he looked shockingly similar to the one that was holding Lily captive. The only difference was that his black hair was longer and wavy, and his nose wasn’t as long. They shared the same grey eyes.

“Well, we need supplies,” the man named Reg replied, “And besides, she looked a lot weaker than she apparently is.”

“So you were going to kill me?” Lily spat, “I’d like to see you try that again.”

The man with the long hair watched Lily in admiration, and he had the audacity to approach her and put his arm around her shoulders. Lily roughly shrugged him off.

The other man accompanying them stayed silent. His light brown hair was slightly in his eyes, and that’s when Petunia noticed the scar occupying his left cheek. He noticed her staring, and she watched as he touched it with his hand self-consciously. Petunia quickly looked away.

“I’m Sirius Black, and this is my stupid brother Regulus,” the long-haired one told them, “And this is my best friend Remus Lupin. We are just trying to survive, just like you two lovely ladies. Do you two have names?”

“Like we would tell you,” Lily muttered, but Petunia shot her a look.

If Petunia was anything, it was _perceptive._ She could see these men truly meant no harm by the cautious and insecure look in Remus’s eyes and the regretful look in Regulus’s. Petunia couldn’t stop staring at him, and she could see in the corner of her eye that Sirius noticed, but he didn’t comment.

“My name is Petunia Evans,” she told them, “And this is my sister Lily. Please excuse her temper, it has always gotten her into trouble.”

Lily glared at her, but Sirius smiled.

“Well, Lily Evans,” he told her, “It seems we have that in common.”

He was attractive, and Petunia could tell that Lily was well aware of the fact even through her anger. Her face turned as red as her hair, but she quickly stomped away and back toward Petunia’s car in rage.

Petunia knew she should follow her, but she was still watching Regulus. He was trying to wipe blood off of his face with his frayed sleeve, and he was picking at scabs on his knuckles. He was actively trying to avoid Petunia’s gaze. _Was it shame?_ Did he feel bad for holding Lily against her will? _Or was it something more?_

Sirius must have walked off and followed Lily, because only Remus was left standing with them and cleared his throat to distract Petunia from her thoughts.

“Well,” he said calmly, “I assume we can work out a deal? Maybe we can trade supplies. I can assure you Regulus was not going to kill your sister. He just acts rashly in fear.”

Petunia finally took her eyes off of Regulus and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Or,” Petunia wagered, “Maybe we can just travel together. The more bodies we have, the safer we will be.”

“You trust us already?” Remus asked skeptically, “Right after Regulus held your sister at knife point? I know I said that he wasn't going to kill your sister but-”

Regulus’s head finally shot up after Remus’s comment, but he stayed silent. That’s when he made eye contact with Petunia. His eyes were soft, though he tried to his hardest to make them appear cold and hard. She could see his inner battle, and that’s when she realized they were no different. _Maybe thirteen was once his lucky number, too._

“I do trust you,” Petunia told him honestly, “And we need each other survive.”

Remus nodded in agreement and motioned that she should follow him back to the parking lot, but Regulus didn’t look away from Petunia as she started to follow him. Petunia would be lying if she said his gaze made her uncomfortable. If anything, _it made her feel safe._


	2. Lily's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me SO long to update this! Over a year? I am horrible. As an update, shortly after I wrote the first chapter, I got engaged. So let's just say I have been gone and only working on one-shots because I was planning a wedding and getting ready to start my masters program. Now that my life has calmed down, I am going to try and update this fic more regularly and really focus on the story-line. I have so many plans for it. I know this is a shorter chapter, but I appreciate it if you are here to read it now after so much time has passed, and I thank you for being understanding. Let's hope I can keep a multi-chapter fic up. x

** Thirteen Years Earlier - 9:13 pm **

_Lily couldn't breathe. That's all she knew._

_It was as though the air left her body as soon as it left their's._

_"Wha-what do you mean mum and dad are gone?"_

_Petunia rubbed the back of her own neck and sat down on the edge of her bed. She refused to look Lily in the eye._

_"They were in a car accident, Lily. Aunt Penelope told me. They were dead upon impact. There was nothing they could do. I'm so sorry."_

_Lily cried. She felt her body shake, and she felt Petunia's arms wrap around her. She wanted to hug her back, but her body had no strength. No eleven year old should have to carry the weight of her parents' death._

_"Will you stay with me?" Lily asked._

_**"Always,"** Petunia replied._

* * *

  **Thirteen Years Earlier - Two Days Later**

_"What do you mean I still have to go to the academy?" Lily argued, "I'm not leaving you alone."_

_"I won't be alone, I will be with Aunt Penelope. And besides, this is what mum and dad would have wanted," Petunia explained calmly._

_"What about what I want?" Lily cried, "What if I want to stay with you? I don't want to go! If I go, I will be alone!"_

_She watched Petunia hold back tears, but it didn't matter to her. Lily still felt betrayed. She **should** feel bad. She should feel bad for abandoning her after her parent's died._

_"You have to go," Petunia pressed on, "I'm sorry."_

_Lily knew her parent's planned on signing her up for this academy. But everything was different now, and it should be different now. None of their plans should be the same, because their lives were never going to be the same. Death changes things, especially your parents' deaths._

_As Petunia walked Lily to Aunt Penelope's car to head to the academy, Lily fought back. Petunia kept a grip on her arms as she basically pushed her into the back seat._

_"You promised you would stay with me!" Lily screamed, "You said you would always be there to take care of me!"_

_"I am taking care of you," Petunia explained, "I'm keeping my promise."_

_It was then that Petunia slammed the car door shut. She didn't even say goodbye._

_As the tears fell down her cheeks she watched her sister become smaller and smaller in the distance as her Aunt's car drove away. That's when the resentment set in. The bitterness that would never leave. She would make sure of it. Under her breath, Lily muttered, **"Liar."**_

* * *

**Present Day**

_Fuck Petunia,_ Lily thought, _fuck the end of the world. I'm done._

Lily huffed as she slammed the car door shut so she could finally be alone. Like usual when she was angry, she felt angry tears start to fall down her cheeks. She rubbed them away quickly as she heard the car door open. She didn't look to see who it was.

"Can you not fucking talk to me right now?" Lily asked, "I'm really not in the mood after that fiasco."

It was then she heard his laugh and realized who was in the driver's seat.

"You really are a fiesty one," the man said, "Your sister wasn't wrong."

Lily turned to glare at him.

"And you are here and trying to be relevant, why? I know my sister was cordial, but I sure as hell am not going to be."

The man smirked, "It seems you already forgot. My name is Sirius. I am also trying to survive, and I also have a shit brother who I have a lot of resentment towards. See, we have a lot in common."

Lily crossed her arms and looked away from him.

"Where are the others?" She asked.

"Still talking, I presume. I just wanted to call dibs on driving."

"There is no way in hell we are going anywhere with you."

"Think again, fireball."

Lily then turned around to follow Sirius' gaze. It was then she saw Petunia walking with the light-haired man, and Sirius' brother was trailing behind them with his head down.

As soon as they approached the car, Lily opened the door and jumped out of it.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked Petunia, "Are you crazy?"

"It's better to be with more people," Petunia explained, "Please try and be calm about this."

"Be calm?" Lily hissed, "Be calm!? This guy held me at knife-point."

She motioned to Sirius' brother who kept his head down.

"His name is Regulus," Petunia told her, "And besides, he clearly regrets it."

Lily could still feel the anger boiling up in her chest, but she didn't have anything to say. She watched as Petunia looked back at her captor. Her eyes were soft, they were caring. Too bad Petunia never gave a shit about her. All Lily knew was that she hoped bringing these men along would bite her sister in the ass. 

"Fine," Lily finally replied, "Let's just get on the road then. All I know is that I am not going to let this asshole drive."

That's then when she pointed to Sirius. He smirked at her and she rolled her eyes. Lily made sure she pushed past him roughly as she went to take the wheel.

"I call shot-gun then!" Sirius called.

Lily rolled her eyes again. She was sure this was going to become a new habit of hers, though she should be used to doing this towards Petunia by now.

She looked in her rearview mirror to study her sister. Petunia was still watching Regulus, but she noticed that light-haired man was watching her. Lily quickly looked away and started the car. She didn't need to be psycho-analyzed by a stranger. Not today, not ever.

* * *

None of them talked as she drove on the highway. Sirius tried at first, but he gave up when Lily threatened to stab his dick with her pocket knife. 

They decided to stop for the night at an old rest-stop. Cars were abandoned and no one was in sight. Just to Lily's preference. 

As she turned off the ignition, everyone got out of the car to set up camp except for the light-haired friend of Sirius.

"We aren't going to hurt you," he reassured her, "I just want you to know that. Your sister trusts us, so I hope you can learn to, too."

Lily snorted as she put her pocket knife back in her pocket and collected her things to sleep outside.

"The last thing I am going to do is trust my sister's word," Lily told him, "But nice try."

She noticed the sympathetic look in his eyes in the rearview mirror. She then opened the door quickly to avoid his pity. But naturally, he decided to follow her and softly shut his door.

"You know, betrayal is an awful thing, but what we sometimes don't realize is that people betray us for good reasons. It is why we are where we are today."

Lily turned around and glared at him. 

"What do you know about betrayal?" She spat. 

"More than you would think, love."

He gave her a weak smile and then walked past her towards Sirius. Sirius greeted him with a warm welcome, and his friend told him to keep his voice down. It was then he heard that his name was Remus.

 _Remus the wise._ That's probably what he thought of himself as. She didn't need life advice from a stranger. 

She looked over at Petunia sitting by Regulus in silence. She wondered if her betrayal all those years ago did mean something, but Lily was coming up blank.

Maybe there was a reason, but she was afraid to find out. She was afraid to think about the fact that maybe she was holding onto unnecessary anger for all those years, because at the end of the day, her anger was all she had.  

 

 


End file.
